Church Of St Mary Magdalene

SPARKFORD CP CHURCH ROAD (East side) ST62NW 4/166 Church of St Mary Magdalene 24.3.61 GV II*

Parish church. C14 and later; nave 1824 by Thomas Ellis. Local grey lias stone cut and squared, Ham stone dressings; Welsh slate roofs over stone slate base courses between coped gables. Four-cell plan of 2-bay chancel, 3-bay nave, south-east vestry and south chapel with organ over, with west tower embracing shallow porch. Chancel mostly C14/15; chamfered plinth, angled corner buttresses, gabletted cross coping finial: east window 3-light C15 tracery, set in hollow chamfered recess under square stop arched label; single 2-light window to each side, set flush without labels could be C14 tracery; projecting south-east vestry without buttresses: coped south gable with cross finial; Y-tracery 2-light window in south wall, and segmental pointed arched doorway in west wall. Nave plain, without plinth or buttresses, having simple Y-tracery pointed arched windows, 3 to north and 2 to south, latter flanking projecting chapel and organ chamber, which has matching window in south wall; in both returns fragments of rural character C15 tracery, adapted as 2-light windows to the low level chapel; on west side door at upper level with flight of stone steps and simple wrot iron guide rails. Tower C14/C15 in 3 stages; double plinth, string courses and battlemented parapet corner pinnacles of odd pattern, probably C19; angled corner buttresses to full height, corner gargoyles: west door - the main entrance - has moulded 4-centre arch under square label with square stops, spandrils uncarved; above a C14/15 traceried 3-light window with arched square stop label; at second stage level a shallow statue niche on west side, with very rural detailed flattish canopy; on south side trefoil cusped single light window; to upper stage all round 2-light C15 traceried windows in hollow chamfered recesses without labels, all fitted with timber louvres; in north east corner a square plan stair turret to full height with slit windows. Interior mostly C19 in character, chancel has 3-plane rib and panel roof with bosses; rendered walls, no arch into vestry; chancel arch standard C15 roll and hollow moulded. Nave has similar ceiling, plain walls; tower arch probably C14 with double chamfer mou1d and bell capitals, with slim early C19 porch with fielded panel doors to west. Fittings include C19 choirstalls incorporating a number of fine C16 bench ends; a C17 altar table and wood pulpit, the latter with new lower panels having the IHS monogram; font probably C19; nave seats of wood and cast iron, park bench style; good C20 panelling to chapel under organ loft in south wall. One early memorial, a brass plate to Johes Clyke, died 1513, First recorder rector 1297. (Pevsner, Buildings of England, South and West Somerset, l958).

Listing NGR: ST6090725663